In general, sensors have single band operability. For instance, typical radar systems emit radio frequency (RF) waves through the atmosphere, reflect off a target and returned to the radar system to be processed. Other sensors may emit energy that is not in the RF band. For instances, laser detection and ranging, or LADAR uses optical beams instead of RF waves to scan a field of view to determine distance and other information. Similarly, communications systems tend to have single band operability. Optical or RF communications and optical or RF sensing may be described as optical functions or RF functions. An optical system is desirable but can be ineffective under certain environmental conditions such as dust storms which make it difficult for the optical beam to travel as desired. Additionally, RF systems on mobile platforms can be compromised by jamming, blocking sensing, and effective communications between RF communications units. Thus, it is desirable to have a sensing and/or communications system that is capable of operating at either the optical band or the RF band in the event that the one band becomes ineffective due to operational environmental conditions.
Prior solutions to enabling multiple optical/RF operating bands included having both an optical function and a separate RF function. Such solutions added weight and required larger surface areas. In some applications, this was acceptable. However, when the dual band functionality was desired on platforms that have smaller surface areas and weight restrictions, such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) having multiple separate functions and systems was not practical.